A Hint of Pink
by Overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: When Chat Noir finds out who has been revving his engines all along, he can't help but try to turn over a new leaf with his Lady.
1. Chapter 1

This started on Tumblr but will be continuing here.

Thanks to Yunyin, Bridgetinerabbit, Enberlight, and Kellarhi for their brainstorming and beta reading help!

* * *

"My Dear Marinetta,"

Marinette and Tikki grimaced, blinking over at one another...

"She wants to come for a visit?" Tikki blinked again, peering back at the screen.

Marinette exhaled loudly. "As disastrous as last Birthday was, I'm not exactly sure what to expect from Nonna Gina's visits."

But as they read on it was clear that her parents must have interceded a bit.

Even in the tone of her letter, Nonna Gina was far more careful. She was very clear, telling her when she was set to arrive so Marinette could plan the time accordingly.

Well, at least as well as a superhero could…

While her Nonna still insisted upon taking Marinette around with her when she came into town, she'd already prioritized finding far more age appropriate activities to appeal to her young teen granddaughter. Top of her list for her Fashion Design inclined Granddaughter: to cruise out in style to the shopping district of her choice!

Marinette could hardly contain her enthusiasm, whirling around in her chair.

"Wait, Marinette!" Tikki chirped, excitedly. "There's more!"

Her Nonna had even promised to give her a motorcycle if she kept her grades up once she reached University age. She even wanted to work with her to help her be ready for that responsibility when the time came, by getting her through the license process and letting her practice when she came to visit before then.

Marinette slapped her hands over her mouth to keep from squealing aloud. "What better than a motorcycle to help set a fashion statement once I make it through University?"

Tikki grinned conspiratorially, her own creative juices already percolating. "And who's to say you can't get a solid jump on designing stylish and practical gear, well before any of your peers."

Within a few minutes of the fateful e-mail's arrival, Marinette already had a plan for a suit.

It had only taken a short brainstorming session between the pair of them to determine how to best emulate the thinner shielding aspects of their suits - It wouldn't do for Ladybug to be lost to Paris if something happened to her on the ride after all - then she set to work, scraping together the fabric bits to make an outfit for herself to rival her Grandmother's.

* * *

A few weeks after, a shiny black and white helmet arrived from Gina, shipped from whatever parts unknown she was traveling.

But hardly even a week had passed since that first email before Marinette had decked out a black biker outfit all on her own. She'd tinkered with the designs, and the accent colors.

When she couldn't trust that her own signature would be visible in this prototype version version, she made ie her own by weaving a hint of pink in to reinforce the seams.

* * *

In fact, everything had been all ready to go for her Grandmother's next visit, when the Sentimonster Feast had been Akumatized, only amping up his ability to terrorize the whole of Paris.

Without a thought - and without a Kwami to remind her - Marinette tore up the stairs, grabbing the helmet and the gear ready and waiting in her wardrobe, before scrambling outside to tear down Paris's streets on her bicycle.

There were very few citizens who dared to draw close to test Feast's ravenous appetite. Fewer still knew that Ladybug was hiding behind the motorcycle helmet...and even they had had near enough close calls to have forgotten much more than the fact that Ladybug had asked for their help.

* * *

After Paris was safe once more, Marinette shed her gear, to be forgotten in her closet after a long day of helping Master Fu move the last of his belongings from his home.

Her Grandmother's next visit wasn't for months after all...

* * *

But months had that funny problem of flying away in an instant - especially with the endless hustle and bustle of school, and superheroics, and saving all of her friends, and designing for most of them on the side - without leaving enough time for her to remember to replace that outfit gathering dust in the back of her closet.

Months that did nothing to blunt Marinette's blind panic when the day finally came due - all without a new outfit on hand.

Marinette - being Marinette - panicked.

Tikki sighed. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Marinette. There wasn't even a single picture that hit the Ladyblog."

Marinette had fussed and fretted, pacing the full length of her room ten times over. But eventually she gave in, letting herself enjoy the rushing wind as Gina wove them through the crowded streets, and over to the fashion district for a shopping trip.

She'd had so much fun, buying a lovely necklace that she could wear with a formal dress she'd been planning (and could easily travel back home on the bike) - and doing a fair bit of research that guaranteed she'd be making Gina's next bike gear herself as a Christmas present, that they both had lost track of time.

Much to Marinette's relief, not one citizen had noticed her outfit, not when she wasn't in a mad dash through Paris…

But she'd missed a very anxious pair of glowing green eyes, fretting from above.

* * *

Eyes that had gotten close enough to recall her outfit, the details of the helmet and the pink accents etched into his memory. He could make out even the tiniest detail in the dwindling light of dusk.

Chat Noir frowned, changing course on a dime. He couldn't be sure what was up...only that perhaps Ladybug would need his help. Had Hawkmoth or Mayura stolen her Miraculous? Had he missed the signs of an Akuma? Had Master Fu had even more secrets he'd been keeping?

Chat Noir didn't hesitate, bounding from roof to roof to catch up as the adrenaline and fear coursed through his veins. He didn't dare let her down.

Not again.

Never again.

Chat only slowed his pace vaulting across the space between rooftops, dipping beneath the chimney line, as the motorcycle chugged to a halt outside a very familiar building.

One that only grew more familiar to his rapidly widening eyes as the rider he'd been following lifted the helmet from her head, shaking out her dark hair as the driver parked the bike.

Recognition struck true, as Marinette beamed up at her Grandmother with that disarming smile, absently repairing the mussed pigtails as she followed her Grandmother back inside.

Chat Noir flopped onto the rooftop, heart struggling not to thud out of his chest.

He knew his Bugaboo was cool... but this? This only confirmed to him she was worlds out of his league...


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien Agreste was stumped, prowling around his room with every ounce of hard-won, catlike grace he possessed while he puzzled out what to do to get his Lady's attention.

To win Marinette's affections...

Only… she was usually the one who came up with the plan.

She was the one who is unfailingly cool under pressure

Sure, he had recklessness and spontaneity… But neither of those was working for him. At least not so far as reaching her heart.

Adrien raked his fingers through his heavily wind mussed hair.

Plagg grinned unrepentantly as he peered up over the lip of the trash can. "So she really was just a friend, huh?"

Adrien scowled darkly at his Kwami. "And you knew all along, didn't you? From that first day?"

Plagg scoffed. "Not all along. After you both de-transformed in the middle of the Dark Owl for sure… But I was paying attention. You humans haven't changed that much over time. I can't help that you've been so sheltered you couldn't put two and two together."

Adrien sighed, slumping wearily back down to the couch. "I guess I am pretty hopeless, huh?"

"Sure," Plagg confirmed, without malice. "But there was also the way she acted with you before you apologized that told me there was a lot more to Marinette. At least, before she clammed up around you…"

Adrien closed his eyes, reaching out absently to hug a pillow for comfort. "I guess she really must have been thrown by my Father, huh?"

The Kwami's glowing green eyes narrowed speculatively. "Purrhaps…"

Adrien grinned, despite himself.

"You really ought to just bring her a big wheel of cheese." Plagg beamed back. "Surefire way to a Ladybug's heart."

Chuckling ruefully, Adrien let his head rest back against the couch cushions. "Something tells me she wouldn't enjoy a large wheel of Camembert any more than I would."

"Your loss," Plagg chided, gnawing noisily into a solid chunk of cheese.

"I know better now than to distract her while we're battling." Adrien mused aloud. "It's not surprising with all the homework and the extra projects she takes on that she doesn't like to really stick around after battles and patrols..."

Plagg kept mum, but was clearly watching him, none too quietly.

"It's so weird, though. She was so sure that 'her friend Adrien' would be a good fit for Sass." He squeezed his eyes shut, desperate to block out the memories of that failure. "But she still keeps me at an arm's length when she's Marinette."

Plagg wheezed a little, coughing as a hunk of cheese must have gone down the wrong pipe.

"When I've been around Marinette in the mask, she thought that Chat Noir was cool. With Evillustrator… and Glaciator… and Gamer, too..." He let the pillow fall down into his lap.

"Did she though?" Plagg cleared his throat, still coughing a bit.

"Enough so that she'd claimed to be in love with me…" Adrien defended adamantly.

"Kid…" Plagg started, with a heavy sigh. "I don't know how to tell you this…"

Adrien's brows furrowed, when realization landed hard. Even his cataclysm hadn't hurt so much. "Oh…" he breathed, shakily. "I nearly had figured it out then, didn't I."

Plagg nodded. "She had to try to throw you off. Tikki would have drilled that into her head."

Dropping his head into his hands, Adrien felt defeated. "I've tried everything, Plagg. Poetry, flowers, candles, kisses, posing, acrobatics, direct confessions… and none of that worked."

Plagg patted his head. "If it makes you feel any better, kid. I don't think you have tried everything."

Adrien glanced up—his eyes gleamed as he held fast to the glimmer of hope lingering in his heart.

Plagg winced. "I just know that she isn't entirely immune to you."

His hand covered his mouth—Adrien was up, pacing again restlessly. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have let me kiss her after the battle with Oblivio…"

Adrien halted again. "Only… Marinette would have forgotten all about her crush…"

Plagg's gaze turned calculating. "You wouldn't happen to have any idea who that might be… would you?"

Adrien frowned, scrubbing his hands over his face as he looked towards the clock. It was much later than he'd thought. "I dunno. Luka seemed the most likely… but she had only given Sass to him after I had suggested it."

Plagg nodded, following as Adrien padded over to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He leaned over the sink to wash his face.

"Well... if she was dating the musician, surely you would have heard something about it from your little reporter friend, right?"

Eyes wide, Adrien peered over at Plagg. "I think so."

Plagg's smirk grew self-satisfied as he hovered beside him, cleaning off his paws. "Then maybe she can give you a hint here…"


End file.
